


At the dawning end of the World

by PuzzlesolverDramaqueen



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: FB references, M/M, afterlife scenes, lots of mythology references, this is narrated by death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 11:09:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17160923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuzzlesolverDramaqueen/pseuds/PuzzlesolverDramaqueen
Summary: My name is Thanatos and I will tell you the story of Albus and Gellert.





	At the dawning end of the World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kierkegarden](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kierkegarden/gifts).



> So, no surprise here, I am your gifter :) I know this is something quite different, but I do hope you like it and you have wonderful holidays!

**_Never, The End of the World_ **

_I will tell you a story. It starts at the very beginning, it is the story of my being, but it is not about me. It starts like this:_

_I have witnessed thousands of years of human living. I have seen it all, believe me. The rise and fall, the glorious and the undignified, lovers and warriors. I have seen passion and war and peace and farewell. I have seen one king after another conquer the world. Most of them were boring. There was nothing special to them, nothing that made them king except for their ancestry._

_I have watched them and taken them from the face of the earth, when their time had come. I have always looked out for the earth, surely not many were sad when I took one Nero with me or the 14th Louis of France or a certain Herr Hitler or Tom Riddle. They were not very interesting, though they will be remembered by the humans, if only for their atrocities. I simply remember them, because I am bound to remember everything. It is my curse, but sometimes, very rarely, there are humans, who are worth it. There are some humans, who are interesting enough that I follow their steps and watch their lives unfold and only take them from the earth when necessary. These are the humans I want to remember and these are the humans that I will tell you about._

_These humans are involved in love and war and in greatness and that is what makes them so interesting. Of course, there are a few of them and quite a few stories to tell, really. Stories for another time._

_The very first is that of Achilles and Patroclus, who shared everything so passionately it was a gift to witness and who loved each other so deeply and fiercely that Achilles’ revenge upon Patroclus’ death remains the most desperate act I have ever seen. They were the ones that made me favor love - even against my nature. Their bond knew no limitations, there was nothing they did not share. It was the most glorious love I had ever seen and it was a shame when their mortal end dawned._

_It took almost five hundred years for the next pair to catch my attention. Two young men in old Macedon wished to be connected in such a way that Achilles and his Patroclus had been. They were named Alexander and Hephaestion. Alexander, who would become the great, the founder of the first human empire, the legend, valued only one thing more than his legacy and that was his companion. In the end, Hephaestion came to me by accident, but I took Alexander soon afterwards, because I could no longer stand his grief upon the loss of his lover. I must admit, these two were my favorites for the longest of times._

_Merlin and Arthur were an odd affair. The muggle king and the wizard pioneer. I never quite understood what bound them together, but they certainly were amusing. They were briskly new and extraordinary and I had almost a century worth of fun with them._

_Helga und Rowena were the sweetest of them all. I don’t usually like the sweet and innocent, but these two were really moving. They dedicated their lives to the education of young witches and wizards - they dedicated their lives to the future. And up in that high castle they dedicated their souls to one another, while the two men, who accompanied them, fought their battle of pride and moral._

_But this is the story of neither of them._

_This is my new favorite story. It is a story about genius unseen before, tainted with madness. It is a story of hope and regret. It is a story about love as great as that of the ancient heroes, but unrivaled in its tragedy. It brought me another century of bittersweet joy and now that both have joined me, I can finally tell it._

_But first, let me introduce myself:_

_My name is Thanatos and I will tell you the story of Albus and Gellert._

_It starts like all good stories do - early on._

_There are gods, who fore say - when a powerful child is born - that child’s destiny. I do not always listen to them - I prefer surprises, but there were rumors in the nights of their births that reached even me at the end of the world._

_Wizards are an odd folk, not favored by many deities because of their power. The gods like humans because they are so obviously inferior and they like half-gods because they belong with them. Wizards are a whole different thing, but they are there nonetheless and the gods watch and so do I._

_I kept an eye on both of them, I watched them grow up rapidly, both young lives marred with tragedy and I watched the radiant explosion, when their paths finally crossed._

_Afterwards I followed Albus first, concerned he might choose to join me before his time._

 

*****

 

**_January 1900, northern France_ **

It was a cold winter, colder than Albus had ever experienced. He wondered if it was related to the coldness and the dark, empty space inside his chest or if he just imagined it.

There had been times, when talking or doing magic, simply getting out of bed or even just breathing had felt too much asked of him, but he’d gotten past that point. Flamel had talked him through it. In November, he’d stood on the edge of a cliff,  looking down, thinking about falling and shattering just like he’d felt merely 2 months before, but Flamel had found him and had ordered him to take a step back. “Just one step, Albus. I know you can do it,” he’d said and Albus - head filled only with screaming white light - had moved. His feet had simply moved backwards.

Afterwards he’d collapsed. He’d cried and screamed and he was sure he couldn’t even remember everything of that night, except that he’d talked. That he’d told Flamel the truth and that it had felt like every fiber of his being was falling apart. A few days he’d spent like that, sure he could never overcome the cruel pain that was tearing him apart, but somehow... somehow Flamel’s soft, guiding words reached him. Somehow his pieces started to fit back together and he’d start to get out of bed more often, magic came to him again, he’d started helping Flamel during the winter.

It was at the very beginning of the year. ( _How very fitting._ ) Albus was straying through the woods, again hit by a wave of darkness in the aftermath of lonely Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, when something small fell down right before him. Like a little ball falling from a tree. ( _It quite intrigued me even more that this wizard was so obviously loved by more than one god even at such a young age.)_ When he took a closer look at what had been laid down at his feet, he discovered a tiny bird, tripping over its own feet.

Albus knelt down and eyed the chick closely, taken aback by surprise for a moment, before he carefully stretched out his hand and the chick looked at him. As if contemplating whether he was trustworthy, it crooked its head, before it hopped forward onto Albus’ hand. He brought it up to his face curiously and the bird gave of a cry that caressed his worries and warmed them up like hot milk.

_”It is a family legend, Albus, dating back to your great-great-grandfather. Whenever you are in need, a phoenix will come to you. It lays in the family, it lays within your blood.” Father kissed his forehead and smiled at him. “Although, I do hope you will never need a phoenix.”_

Albus raised a finger and tenderly stroked the phoenix’s head. The chick snuggled into the touch and his vision blurred, while his chest felt strangely light.

 

*

 

**_May 1945, Black Forest, Germany_ **

_(My favorite thing about these two is this: For all their cleverness, they only learned wisdom late in life. Albus began earlier, began with the death of Ariana, but only really began after they broke each other’s hearts again, this time with a life-sentence to the highest tower of the castle. But Gellert took longer. Gellert took decades of darkness and isolation to strip down the layers he’d built for himself and do as he’d promised so many people – know himself.)_

Everything he felt was red, hot anger. It was burning inside him, eating him up alive, it felt like he was on fire. He ducked away from Albus’ curse and drove his wand into the earth with roar. The same fire cut through the ground and surged through the air. He’d expected Albus to use water, to drown out the fire like their passion once, but he did not. What encountered him was a storm, a huge rainstorm that bore Albus’ burning eyes. Not burning with tears, nor desire, but with fury.

Albus dared being angry at him? Why, in Merlin’s name, did he think he had the right to be raging about? _He’d_ abandoned their plans, _he’d_ broken their bond! He’d broken everything they’d given to each other! And he dared being angry?! He could feel his whole body shaking with emotions he couldn’t name and it was that moment, that blinded him. That moment his hand was clenched around the most powerful wand in the world and he could do no more, than watch it flying out of his hand, when Albus’ _Expelliarmus_ hit his chest.

As soon as Albus caught the Elder Wand there was no anger left on his face, only something grey and ancient. He hated it even more than if Albus had been cheering with joy.

_(Funny enough, what Gellert didn’t understand was that, in this moment, Albus’ high tower became his own cell.)_

*

 

**_Eternity, Echo: Marketplace of Godrics Hollow_ **

The market stalls still looked the same, except that there was nobody crying out offers or negotiating prices and the old man playing an accordion next to the fabric stall was missing. It was peaceful. The stalls looked lively, as if all the people of Godrics Hollow had only left for a break and would return any minute to pick up business again.

( _I’ve seen great and glorious echoes. The most beautiful places in existence, more beautiful than anything the world could offer. It strikes me time and again that these two, of all humans, chose to meet again in a place as mundane as this, when their lives were always haunted by grandeur.)_

There was only an old man with long white hair and beard, a crimson cloak and a paper bag of sweets in his hands, sitting on the bench under one of the willow trees, happily humming a tune only he knew the lyrics to. Then, suddenly, out of the blue sky another old man appeared. He was naked like the young god he had been in his youth, but as soon as he looked down, a light robe appeared on his body, matching the color of the sky and the eyes of his companion.

“You didn’t tell him,” was the first thing Albus Dumbledore said to Gellert Grindelwald after half a human lifetime of silence.

“Of course, I didn’t.” Gellert sat down on the bench and took a yellow bonbon, when Albus offered him the bag. “He doesn’t deserve to hold it.”

“Neither did we.”

“Very true. But your boy does.”

“You tried to help Harry? I remember a time, when you could not stand ‘my boys’ at all.”

Gellert waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and leaned back. “Scamander was different.”

Albus turned his head to look at him. “They’ve got more in common than you think.”

“Maybe. What became of him?”

“Oh, he’s settled down in Dorset. I taught his children and then his grandchildren – they are very much like their father.” Silence spread between them and Albus swallowed. “Who was it?”

Gellert’s lips spread into a thin smile that didn’t reach his eyes, almost as if he’d expected the question. “I don’t know. But I am deeply sorry. I have never told you, but of all the things I regret – and believe me, there are a lot – her death is what haunted me every night in Nurmengard.”

Albus nodded, reached out and took Gellert’s hand. “It was my fault. Whoever cast the curse, she was my responsibility and I had neglected her all summer long. I am sorry I blamed you, I am sorry I sent you away. But if it's worth anything... I have always loved you."

Gellert intertwined their fingers. “And I loved you, even though I could not see it for the longest of times. So, I forgive you, if you forgive me.” Albus smiled, brought their hands up to his mouth and kissed the back of Gellert's hand - and in that moment a bronze dragon landed in front of them, bowed his head and spread his wings in an invitation.

( _Sometimes humans spend ridiculously long in the Echo. Either waiting for each other or waiting for the necessary revelation of how to move on or deciding whether they wanted to move on at all. But with these two, of course it was fast. It was always fast with them. Fast friends, fast lovers, fast revolution, fast explosion. And of course, they went together.)_

 

*

 

**_August 1905, Sussex Downs_ **

Albus adjusted his bow tie. It was of a deep dark red, almost the color of his hair and it blended in with the dark purple of his robe that distinguished him quite distinctly from all the other guests of the wedding. He’d asked Elphias, what he’d like him to wear, but Elphias had simply told him, he should wear his favorite robe even if the colors didn’t match those of the bridesmaids’ dresses. He’d asked Barbara – Elphias’ soon-to-be wife -, too, nonetheless, just in case Elphias had missed an important clothing decision on his own wedding, but Barbara had told him the same (quite in a haze, though, stuck between the fitting of her own dress and a meeting to discuss the table decorations).

He'd been best man and he’d never seen Elphias beaming like the moment he saw Barbara walking down the aisle in a white flowing dress and a veil over her head.

He had to work to keep the smile on his face, despite himself. Their smiles, their vows, their love… He hadn’t expected it to hit him so hard. Six years had passed, he’d studied with Flamel, he’d joined Elphias at the end of his grand tour, he’d started teaching, he was alright, sometimes he was even happy.

But right now, he couldn’t stop his mind from producing images of himself in white robes and the sign of the Deathly Hallows on golden rings and a pair of mischievously sparkling mismatched eyes and everything seemed to move into distance.

Elphias pulled him back into reality with an enthusiastic pat on his back and a broad smile. “I’m so glad you could make it,” he said and Albus returned his smile. “Of course!”, he replied.

_(Of course, not. Another fascinating thing is, that neither ever revealed their true feelings, their mind and soul again. Never. Even the best of friends could merely get a glimpse compared to what Albus had seen of Gellert and what Gellert had seen of Albus. Of course, nothing could ever come close to the bond that had been formed on golden summer days and long before outside of secularity.)_

“You’ll be next!” Elphias proclaimed, already pulling him into the direction of the joyfully dancing mass and especially the maiden ladies.

It took a lot of him to chuckle. “You know me, Elphias, I’m already married to my work.”

Elphias shook his head, grinned and handed him a glass of wine. “But, sadly, you can’t marry dragons.”

No, sadly he couldn’t marry anyone. But then again, he thought, tracing the fine scar on his hand, it felt like he was married for years, already.

 

*

 

**_1997, Hogwarts Castle & Nurmengard Castle_ **

_I knew that Albus’ time was running short, though he seemed to plan it more than I did. I must admit, I was annoyed that this human – however fond I am of him – tried to take over my responsibilities. He reminded me of old Cadmus more and more. Hypnos, my brother, urged me to take him earlier than he’d planned, but oh, what a waste. I rather wanted to see how his scheme played out, so I let him be and only waited for him at the foot of the lightning-struck tower._

_I was late to see Gellert, having to take Albus to the Echo first, but when I took a look at Nurmengard, I found the phoenix sitting on the top of the highest tower. It seemed to me that even now, Albus was watching Gellert as much as I was, even though Gellert was unaware of both of us. The day the last remaining warden brought the papers and the news of Albus Dumbledore’s death I could see Gellert’s soul shift._

_It was in this moment that he first really knew himself. And I decided to give him another year._

_*_

**_Always, At the dawning end of the world_ **

The sun was slowly setting behind the hills, painting the world golden and quiet. The waves were lazily crushing on the beach, birds were trilling in the woods and sometimes there was a fawn or a bunny visiting the glade, where their house was set cozily in between a group of hills.

An old man with long silver hair, a braided beard and a rainbow striped cardigan was kneeling in the backyard, tending to his colorful flowerbed. He was contently humming along to the muggle song that was playing on the radio, while another old man was not-so-secretly watching him from the hammock on the other side of the yard. Meanwhile, a young girl with two braids and a yeanling by her side was sitting under the old willow tree, braiding a crown out of wild flowers and straw.

“Tante Bathilda invited us for tea, you know, _again_ ,” Gellert mentioned, while Albus finished watering the daffodils.

Albus turned around and smiled. “It is summer, after all.”

Gellert rolled his eyes fondly and offered his hand to pull Albus up onto his feet again. Gently he wiped a bit of dirt from the other man’s face and looked around the yard, still holding on to Albus’ hand.

“It is always summer.”


End file.
